Drive More Calls to Your Home Service Business with A/B Testing

In order to maintain a competitive edge for your home service business,
you must continually refine your website. But how do you know which changes
will actually make a difference on your site? How do you know which changes
will drive the most conversions, such as calls and new appointments set?

It all starts with getting to know your site visitors and what drives them
to action. One good way to do this is through A/B testing, which is also
commonly called “split testing.” With A/B testing, you test
out two variations of the same web page at the same time to see which
one gets better results. For example, you may want to test your current
home page headline against a new one that is more attention-grabbing (such
as “Los Angeles Pest Control” vs. “Top-Rated Pest Control
Specialists in Los Angeles”). In that case, you will have two versions:
Version 1 with the original headline and Version 2 with the new headline.

And how do you test two versions at the same time? There is technology
that allows you to show Version 1 to half of your traffic and Version
2 to the other half of your traffic. You can then collect visitor behavior
data from each version and compare them to see which page performed better.
For example, you may find that one version led to more clicks on your
“Request a Free Estimate” button, more visitors filling out
your online form, or more calls to your business.

Here are a few different ideas for web page elements you can test:

Headlines

Content

Call-to-action (CTA) buttons

Images

Videos

Page design

When you do A/B testing correctly, you can use your results to learn more
about what your website visitors like and how to get them engaged. And
that’s always good for converting your web visitors to new customers
for your home service business!

5 Tips for A/B Testing Success

A/B testing only works if you do it the right way. Below are a few crucial
tips you should follow if you decide to try it out for your home service
business’ website. These tips can also be applied to your other
home service business marketing strategies.

Tip #1
Test the most impactful web page elements, such as the ones listed in the section above. Don't get bogged down
testing minute details that would not typically play as a large of a role
in conversions, such as a single paragraph in your content.

Tip #2
Test one element at a time. For example, test variations of your headline OR your CTA button —
not both simultaneously. This will allow you to determine which change
on your web page is resulting in changes in your visitors’ behavior,
such as increased clicks or calls. If you alter multiple elements at once,
you won’t know which one to credit for the improved results.

Tip #3
Decide what your"conversion" will be before you conduct your A/B test. This will depend on the element you are testing and your overall goal.
For example, if you are testing how different page designs lead to more
business, you make your conversion new appointments set. Meanwhile, if
you are testing out different placements on the page for your newsletter
sign-up CTA button, it is probably best to make newsletter sign-ups the
conversion to the track. Don’t switch from tracking one type of
conversion to another or you won’t be able to make meaningful comparisons.

Tip #4
Measure your website metrics
before starting the A/B test and then use these as your baseline.
This will give you something to compare your new results to. You can’t
measure your success if you don’t have a baseline to work from!
Example: How many CTA button clicks, content downloads, website-driven
calls, etc. did you get per before you applied your change?

Tip #5 Keep testing until you get clear-cut results. If you find that both versions of your web page are creating very similar
results, you may need to keep the test going so you can build a larger
sample size (more people viewing and responding to page). If you find
that the results are still close even after a longer period of testing
and a larger sample size, this may be because the elements you are testing
are not as impactful, or the changes you are not big enough. See tip #1.

If you need assistance setting up A/B testing for your website or your
other Internet marketing efforts, contact our home services business marketing
team at Scorpion! We can help you identify which changes will help drive
the most business your way.

For more information about how to track the return on investment (ROI)
of your website and other online marketing campaigns, check out our free
guide below.

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About the Author

Brandon has over decade of experience in legal and healthcare sales and marketing. He is dedicated to helping companies succeed by connecting them with expertly tailored marketing packages that meet their specific needs. His mission is to always go above and beyond the client’s expectations.
Brandon is an avid 49ers and Dodgers fan and a lifelong motorcycle rider. When he is not working, he enjoys coaching his kids' baseball teams, camping, hunting, fishing, and winning softball championships for Scorpion.